“Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” John 8:11
Religious leaders brought a woman to Jesus to trap Him. He stooped and wrote on the ground, then invited anyone without sin to throw the first stone. When they had all gone, He spoke to her with mercy and sent her forward to a new life.
After a night on the mount of Olives, Jesus came early to the temple, sat down and taught the people. Scribes and Pharisees brought Him a woman taken in adultery and set her in the middle of everyone. They reminded Him that the law of Moses commanded such a person to be stoned and asked, “But what sayest thou?” They were trying to trap Him. Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger.
When they kept asking, He stood and said, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her,” and stooped to write again. Convicted by their own conscience, they left one by one, beginning with the eldest. When only the woman remained, Jesus asked, “Hath no man condemned thee?” She said, “No man, Lord.” Jesus answered, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.”
Who’s who
Jesus Christ: who teaches, will not be trapped, and offers mercy
The woman: brought before everyone, then given a new start
Scribes and Pharisees: who try to trap Him, then leave one by one
Where and when
In the temple courtyard in Jerusalem, early in the morning.
Watch for the Savior
Watch how Jesus answers both the accusers and the woman.
Eight stops from the mount of Olives to a new start. Scroll, or tap a number on the map.
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The story, plainly
Four scenes: the trap, the writing, the accusers leaving and the merciful words. Look for the Savior in each one.
Read it plainly
The words that trip people up
Tap any dotted word for its meaning. The scripture stays exactly as written.1
John 8:3“the Meaning: teachers who copied and explained the law of Moses. and Pharisees”
John 8:6“This they said, Meaning: testing; trying to trap. him”
John 8:9“being Meaning: shown to be guilty. by their own conscience”
John 8:10“where are those thine Meaning: people who charge someone with wrongdoing.?”
John 8:11“Neither do I Meaning: pass judgment against. thee”
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Look closer
Small details tell the story. Some cards are details in the text; others share insights from Church leaders, Church resources or outside sources. Each card says which.
0 of 9 turned
All nine. The olive hill, the temple, the stones, the writing, the dropped stone, the footsteps, the empty courtyard, the open hands and the path. John 8:1–11
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Where are you?
Feeling accused, holding a stone, needing mercy, or a new start. Which feels most like you right now?
A next step for you
Your choice is saved only on this device.
Try it
Set the stone down
Tap the moments in John 8 in the order they happened, from the mount of Olives to a new start.
“Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” John 8:11
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Their world, their words
A little background on the trap, the law and two Greek words helps the story come alive. Outside sources are labeled.
Church resource · Student manual
A trap
The leaders made “an effort to trap Him in His words,” and the Savior “showed compassion in refusing to condemn” the woman.2
Two traps closed.
Church resource · Student manual
Final judgment
President Oaks taught that here, “the word condemn apparently refers to the final judgment,” and that the woman “was granted time to repent.”2
Time to change.
Church leader · Sister Wright
Only part of her story
“We do not know her full story.” Sister Wright added, “Often the scriptures give only a small portion of someone’s life.”3
More than one moment.
Church leader · Sister Wright
What came after
Sister Wright noted that the Joseph Smith Translation “makes it clear that the woman did follow the Savior’s counsel and changed her life.”3
She changed.
Word study · Greek
katakrinó κατακρίνω · “condemn” (John 8:10–11)
Bible Hub: “to give judgment against.”5Outside · lexicon
The accusers wanted a verdict against her. Jesus, the only one who could judge, chose mercy and a call to change.1
Bible Hub: “that is without sin.”6Outside · lexicon
This word appears only here in the New Testament. No one in the crowd could claim it, but the One standing before them could.1
What the text does not say
Jesus doesn’t pretend sin doesn’t matter. He tells her, “Go, and sin no more.”1 The student manual explains that He did not condone her sin; He gave her time to repent.2 He offers mercy and a call to change at the same time.
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Look to Him
He would not condemn her or excuse sin. He gave her time, mercy and a way forward.
“Jesus Christ was the answer then, and He is the answer now.”
“All the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.” John 8:2
The accusers
They left
“Being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one.” John 8:9
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Seek Him today
A question to ask in prayer
Lord, what wouldst Thou have me change, and how wilt Thou help me? John 8:11
He offers mercy and a way forward. Ask Him for both.
Try it today
One step of mercy each day. It saves on this device, one day at a time.
0 of 7 today
This week:0 of 7 days
Seven days of mercy. Come again tomorrow.
A quiet moment
“Neither do I condemn thee.”
Read John 8:1–11 slowly. Picture the stones falling to the ground one by one. Then picture Jesus looking up at the woman and speaking to her kindly. John 8:1–11
A verse to hold
Talk about it
Why did the leaders bring the woman to Jesus?
What did Jesus say to the people holding stones?
What did He say to the woman after they left?
How can we show mercy and still choose what is right?
Open
For adults and deeper study
Go deeper
Longer readings, harder questions, and where to study next. Each one says what it is before you click.
Church leader
Amy A. Wright, “Christ Heals That Which Is Broken” (2022)
How the Savior heals broken relationships with God, with others and with ourselves, beginning with this woman.3
Everything on this page as a 11-page letter-size PDF: the map, scenes, cards, activity, word studies, tracker, Go deeper and sources. For home, class or a quiet Sunday.
The Woman Taken in Adultery is part of the Scripture Story Sketch Notes for the New Testament, set alongside Come, Follow Me for April 19–25, 2027 (John 7–10).
Independent study notes from Weak Things, not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. The words are in John 8:1–11; the insights in “Look closer” are labeled by source.
